Category: 3. Business

One of the main raps against cryptocurrency has been that it is not a “mainstream” investment asset. However, the recent announcement of a new crypto-related index created by S&P Dow Jones Indices is just the latest in a string of headlines pushing crypto toward wide-stream acceptance.

Read More: I Asked ChatGPT To Explain Crypto Like I’m 12 — Here’s What It Said

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Here’s a look at what’s going to be in the index, how it might boost crypto in general, and whether or not it might be a fit for your portfolio.

According to S&P Global, the creator of the new S&P Digital Markets 50 Index, “The index is designed to track a wide range of companies and digital assets connected to the crypto ecosystem, combining cryptocurrencies and publicly traded crypto-linked equities into one index.”

What this means is that unlike some other indexes that merely track specific cryptocurrencies, this index is meant to encompass the entire crypto ecosystem. In addition to individual coins and tokens, the S&P Digital Markets 50 Index will include stocks of companies that are somehow related to crypto. Specifically, the index “will include 35 companies involved in digital asset operations, infrastructure providers, financial services, blockchain applications and supporting technologies, but will also be combined with 15 cryptocurrencies selected from the S&P Cryptocurrency Broad Digital Market Index.”

Note that at the present time, the S&P Digital Markets 50 is just an index, not an investable exchange-traded fund (ETF). However, later this year, fintech firm Dinari plans to offer investible “dShares” based on the index in conjunction with S&P Global. Additionally, as The Motley Fool noted, this index could lead to the introduction of new ETFs or mutual funds.

Check Out: 3 Reasons Bitcoin Is ‘Digital Gold,’ Says Investing Expert

Anything that is seen to legitimize and bring cryptocurrency into the mainstream is seen as a good thing for the overall crypto market. When investors feel more confident that crypto isn’t simply the wild west of the investment world, they’ll be more likely to invest themselves. An increase in the number of investors could both drive crypto prices higher and reduce volatility in the sector.

Investing in a crypto-based index can provide two additional major benefits.

First, it allows investors access to a relatively diversified portfolio with a single purchase. Although not a wholly diversified portfolio, as all of the investments will consist of crypto and crypto-related securities, you’d be owning 50 different investments instead of putting all your money into just one.

Next, it takes the burden of research away from you as an investor and places it in the hands of S&P instead. Rather than having to go out and research 50 individual cryptocurrencies and crypto-related companies, S&P is doing all the heavy lifting for you. While you’ll still have to determine whether this index matches your investment objectives and risk tolerance, you can focus your energies on vetting a single security instead of 50 diverse investments.

Although the new S&P index offers potential, there are some risks to consider as well to any potential investment based on this index.

Here are some possible downsides.

• Overdiversification: In traditional stock mutual funds, the diversification offered by owning 50 different securities can be beneficial. But as crypto is still a new and speculative asset class, the question has to be asked, “Will there really be 50 winners in that space?” Or will the “forced diversification” into 50 securities mean you’ll end up owning a significant handful of losers?

• Volatility: Owning 50 different securities instead of one may dampen your volatility somewhat. But as every investment in this index is either crypto-related or actual crypto, most of the securities will likely trade in tandem. This means an investment based on this index could still be quite volatile.

• Fees: S&P Global and Dinari haven’t publicly announced a fee structure for this new product, and it is likely to be fairly low. However, paying any type of fee by definition drags your performance down as opposed to simply buying a stock or cryptocurrency for no commission at all.

S&P Global is helping crypto investments become mainstream with the creation of its Digital Assets 50 Index. This is likely good for the overall crypto market. However, the index itself, including the investable dShares coming later this year, are not the perfect investment for everyone.

You’ll still have to weigh the pros and cons of the index and match them with your financial objectives and ability to handle volatility. Even then, it’s likely a good idea to think of the index as a supplemental or fringe investment, rather than a core one.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How S&P’s New Index Could Be a Game Changer for Your Crypto Investments

OMAHA, Neb. — The profits of Warren Buffett’s company improved 17% thanks to a relatively mild hurricane season and more paper investment gains this year as Berkshire Hathaway continues to prepare for the legendary 95-year-old investor to relinquish the CEO title in January.

But last month’s $9.7 billion investment in OxyChem won’t do much to diminish the $381.7 billion cash pile that Berkshire was sitting on at the end of September even though it is the biggest deal the company has made in years.

The biggest thing on most investors’ minds right now is that Buffett Vice Chair Greg Abel is set to succeed him as CEO in January, although Buffett will remain chairman at Berkshire. The Class A stock is well off its peak of $812,855, set just before Buffett surprised shareholders at the annual meeting in May by announcing he will step back. It closed Friday at $715,740, but Berkshire still didn’t buy back any of its own stock in the quarter, which suggests Buffett thinks it is still overvalued.

CFRA Research analyst Cathy Seifert said she expects investors will clamor for more details from Berkshire after Abel takes over, and that calls for the company to finally pay a dividend if it can’t find better uses for all that cash will also grow louder. But with Buffett remaining chairman there may not be any immediate changes.

“The lack of discussion and disclosure — I think has a lot of the investment community frustrated,” Seifert said. Berkshire has never had public or investor relations departments, and the company skips the quarterly investor calls that nearly every public company holds. Buffett has long said he prefers to share results with every investor at the same time, on Saturdays, and give them the weekend to digest the results before the markets reopen.

Berkshire said Saturday that it earned $30.796 billion, or $21,413 per Class A share, in the quarter. That’s up from last year’s $26.251 billion, or $18,272 per A share.

But those bottom-line figures are always distorted by the current value of Berkshire’s massive investment portfolio and any stock sales, which this year added $17.3 billion to the company’s profits.

That’s why Buffett has long recommended that investors pay more attention to Berkshire’s operating earnings to get a sense of how its many operating companies are performing, including well-known insurers like Geico, BNSF railroad, several major utilities and an assortment of manufacturing and retail companies.

On that measure, Berkshire’s operating profit jumped to $13.485 billion, or $9376.15 per Class A share, thanks to a strong rebound in its insurance companies. A year ago, Berkshire reported operating earnings of $10.09 billion, or $7,023.01 per Class A share.

The four analysts surveyed by FactSet Research predicted Berkshire would report operating earnings of $8,573.50 per Class A share.

Berkshire said fewer catastrophic losses from hurricanes this year compared to when Hurricane Helene ravaged the southeast a year ago helped its insurance underwriting profit jump $1.6 billion to $2.369 billion. The bottom line was also helped by $331 million in gains on debt held in foreign currencies this year, compared to a $1.1 billion loss on those holdings a year ago.

Most of Berkshire’s other companies performed well in the quarter although profits did decline nearly 9% at its utilities to $1.489 billion.

Asked whether Nvidia intends to sell AI accelerators from that family of products in the Asian country, the tech chief said, “I don’t know. I hope so someday.” 

Huang’s comments came a day after US President Donald Trump said he didn’t discuss the prospect of Blackwell chip sales in a meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, despite saying earlier that he would do so. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, asked whether Blackwell chip sales to China would be discussed more going forward, said “I don’t think that’s on the table right now.”

Huang, speaking Friday in South Korea, expressed optimism that might change. “No decisions have been made, and we’ll see how it turns out,” said Huang, 62, of Nvidia’s Blackwell export plans. “I hope it turns out well.” The Nvidia chief said earlier this week that the company hasn’t applied for Washington’s permission to sell Blackwell chips to China, permits that are required under export controls first imposed in 2022.

Read More: Trump Says Nvidia Chip Talks With Xi Didn’t Cover Blackwell 

The Blackwell family of chips is Nvidia’s latest generation of artificial intelligence semiconductors and the industrial standard for developing and running large language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The processors have capabilities that far surpass those of semiconductors that Washington effectively banned from export to China several years ago, as well as anything that’s currently available from Chinese competitors like Huawei Technologies Co. 

Selling those products to China, as Huang hopes to do, would require a dramatic departure from the Trump administration’s stated approach to the tech competition between the world’s two largest economies. Still, the president had put it on the table. Trump said months ago that he’d be open to allowing China shipments of an unspecified, downgraded Blackwell chip. Ahead of his meeting with Xi, Trump said he’d discuss the “super duper” Blackwell accelerators with the Chinese leader — remarks that helped make Nvidia the first $5 trillion business by market value. 

But while Trump and Xi did discuss Nvidia’s access to China in general, Trump said after the meeting, those talks did not touch on Blackwell chip approvals: “We’re not talking about the Blackwell,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “That just came out yesterday.”

Back in Washington, China hawks breathed a sigh of relief. Many US officials had worried that Trump, in an effort to reach a broader trade deal with Beijing, might give away what they consider to be the country’s strongest technological asset — and one with significant national security implications. Concern about Blackwell chip sales to the Asian country is one of the primary motivations behind a bipartisan congressional measure that could have major implications for Huang’s hopes for the China market.

The legislation, an earlier version of which has already passed the Senate, would require chipmakers like Nvidia to prioritize American customers before selling chips to buyers in arms-embargoed countries, including China. Hours after Trump and Xi concluded their meeting, lawmakers introduced the highly-anticipated bill to the US House of Representatives.

One congressional staffer, who requested not to be identified, described a sense of uncertainty akin to a fog of war when asked how Trump’s stance on Blackwell chips was playing on Capitol Hill.

Read More: AI Chip Export Controls Backed by House After Trump-Xi Talks

Nvidia has criticized trade restrictions as hamstringing US competitiveness and lobbied aggressively against chip export controls more broadly. “I think it’s really good for America and it’s really good for China that Nvidia could participate in the Chinese market,” Huang said Friday. Nvidia’s argument is that restricting Chinese AI developers from using American chips will only push them toward domestic alternatives.

To be sure, participating in China would also be really good for Nvidia: the world’s most valuable company wrote down billions of dollars in revenue earlier this year when Trump’s team restricted sales of a less-advanced processor called the H20. Washington later reversed course and greenlit H20 chip shipments, but Beijing has discouraged Chinese companies from using those accelerators.

Trump said Thursday that Nvidia and the Chinese government will have to keep talking about the chipmaker’s access to the Asian nation’s market, which is the world’s biggest for semiconductors. Huang, though, said the topic didn’t come up during his meeting Friday with Ren Hongbin, Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. 

“We were just talking mostly about enjoying each other’s company,” Huang said.

Rezolve AI (NasdaqGM:RZLV) is shaking up its executive team, with Arthur Yao stepping into the dual role of Chief Operating and Financial Officer. Several new key leaders are also joining the company’s top ranks.

See our latest analysis for Rezolve AI.

Momentum has been anything but steady for Rezolve AI this year. While the 90-day share price return stands at 46.4%, driven by new executive appointments and a push to court investors at major tech conferences, the company’s 1-year total shareholder return remains negative at -4.7%. This indicates that recent optimism is only beginning to challenge a much longer period of underperformance.

If leadership shakeups and newfound momentum have you looking for more opportunities, now is a perfect time to broaden your search and discover fast growing stocks with high insider ownership

With shares still trading at less than half of analyst targets, but recent gains challenging a sluggish year, investors have to decide whether Rezolve AI is a bargain set for a turnaround or if the market has already priced in the company’s growth plans.

The SWS DCF model points to a fair value of $8.63 for Rezolve AI, suggesting the stock is trading markedly below intrinsic value with its last close at $4.29.

The DCF model estimates a company’s true worth by projecting all future cash flows and discounting them back to today’s value. For Rezolve AI, this approach is especially relevant as the company focuses on aggressive revenue growth in the burgeoning AI software space, despite ongoing losses.

This means the DCF estimate emphasizes future expansion and cash potential rather than current profitability. For investors, this model invites a deeper look at whether the revenue surge can bridge the gap toward eventual profitability in a volatile sector.

Look into how the SWS DCF model arrives at its fair value.

Result: DCF Fair value of $8.63 (UNDERVALUED)

However, persistent net losses and volatile short-term returns still loom as risks that could quickly test investor confidence in Rezolve AI’s turnaround story.

Find out about the key risks to this Rezolve AI narrative.

If you want to dig into the numbers yourself or think you have a different perspective, you can easily build your own story around Rezolve AI in just a few minutes. Do it your way

A great starting point for your Rezolve AI research is our analysis highlighting 2 key rewards and 4 important warning signs that could impact your investment decision.

Staying ahead means always having fresh stock picks on your radar. Uncover high-potential companies and seize the next opportunity before it gets away from you.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Companies discussed in this article include RZLV.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com

Story continues

• Earlier this week, ARK Invest purchased over US$30.9 million worth of Block Inc. shares across three exchange-traded funds, including ARKK, ARKW, and ARKF, highlighting continued interest among institutional investors.

• This investment comes as Block accelerates its rollout of integrated bitcoin solutions for merchants, further cementing its role at the intersection of digital payments and cryptocurrency adoption.

• We’ll explore how ARK Invest’s expanded position in Block underscores confidence in the company’s advancing crypto and payments ecosystem.

The latest GPUs need a type of rare earth metal called Terbium and there are only 37 companies in the world exploring or producing it. Find the list for free.

To own Block shares, you need to believe in the long-term relevance of its two-sided payments and banking ecosystem, built around Cash App and Square, especially as digital finance and bitcoin adoption expand. ARK Invest’s sizable US$30.9 million purchase showcases institutional optimism but does not materially change the core risk: Block’s earnings remain highly sensitive to bitcoin-related revenue fluctuations and ongoing competitive threats in peer-to-peer payments, which may be amplified or mitigated in the near term by broader crypto trends.

The most relevant recent announcement is the rollout of Square’s new integrated bitcoin payments solution for merchants, making it easier for businesses to seamlessly accept, hold, and convert bitcoin through Square’s point-of-sale system. This initiative directly aligns with Block’s push to deepen cryptocurrency integration, one of its central growth catalysts, by strengthening its merchant platform and reinforcing its role as a bridge between digital asset adoption and real-world payments.

But while interest in bitcoin solutions is growing, investors should pay careful attention to the risk that…

Read the full narrative on Block (it’s free!)

Block’s outlook anticipates $32.8 billion in revenue and $2.4 billion in earnings by 2028. This is based on a projected 11.3% annual revenue growth rate, but earnings are forecast to decrease by $0.6 billion from the current $3.0 billion.

Uncover how Block’s forecasts yield a $88.40 fair value, a 16% upside to its current price.

Seventeen members of the Simply Wall St Community estimate Block’s fair value between US$60.37 and US$104, showing a wide range of outlooks. With Block’s ongoing integration of bitcoin payments for merchants, this diversity hints at how opinions can differ around the business’s exposure to crypto volatility, open these alternative perspectives to understand what could drive future results.

Explore 17 other fair value estimates on Block – why the stock might be worth as much as 37% more than the current price!

Disagree with existing narratives? Create your own in under 3 minutes – extraordinary investment returns rarely come from following the herd.

Early movers are already taking notice. See the stocks they’re targeting before they’ve flown the coop:

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Companies discussed in this article include XYZ.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com

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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Warren Buffett offloaded stocks for the third consecutive year, as the chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway enters his final months at the sprawling conglomerate he built over more than six decades.

Berkshire Hathaway disclosed on Saturday that it had sold another $6.1bn of common stock in the three months to September 30. Buffett has seen more opportunities in selling than buying equities for the past three years, with stock prices rising precipitously across several sectors.

The conglomerate’s cash reserves also continued to climb and reached a record for the quarter, with $382bn flowing in from a business that spans insurance, manufacturing, utilities and one of North America’s biggest railways. Berkshire once again did not buy back any shares during the quarter.

The group’s share price has lagged the benchmark S&P 500 index since Buffett announced plans to step down as chief executive at the end of this year. He will be succeeded by Greg Abel, who is head of Berkshire’s non-insurance businesses, in January.

This is a developing story

Thanksgiving was once a holiday Britons knew only from American films, but a growing appetite for US cuisine, from Southern-style comfort food to pumpkin pie, is driving a rise in UK celebrations.

Retailers and restaurants are reporting increased sales and bookings in the run-up to the American holiday, boosted by British enthusiasm for US flavours and a rising number of American expats now living in the UK.

At Pipers farm in Devon, sales of turkeys and related Thanksgiving products rose 38% in the fortnight leading up to Thanksgiving last year compared with the two weeks before. The farm said it had expanded its range of sides and turkey sizes this year to meet what it expects will be even higher demand.

Data from the online retailer Ocado shows searches for Thanksgiving have jumped 440% year on year, while pumpkin spice is up more than 550%. Ocado’s sales data also indicates American food has grown in popularity among shoppers: sales of Herr’s buffalo blue cheese curls are up 410% year on year, and Newman’s Own ranch dressing by more than 202%.

Research commissioned by the firm found 42% of gen Z and millennials say they have attended a Thanksgiving meal in the UK, and 16% plan to attend or host the holiday for the first time this November. More than half (53%) believe US holidays such as Thanksgiving and American-style Halloweens are becoming bigger fixtures in the British calendar.

Dan Elton, the chief customer officer at Ocado Retail, said: “We’re seeing this love of American food culture translating into what people are buying … from ranch dressing and marshmallows, to mac and cheese.”

According to the market research company Mintel, interest in American-style food has risen sharply in the past two years, particularly among younger consumers. More than half of British adults (58%) have ordered or are interested in ordering southern US dishes such as Louisiana gumbo. That figure has grown from 52% in early 2024 to 67% by mid-2025, peaking at 81% among gen Z – those born approximately between 1997 and 2012. In the same period, one in five Britons visited an American-style restaurant, rising to nearly one in three younger consumers.

“UK interest in Thanksgiving reflects a growing appetite for American food,” said Trish Caddy, the associate director of food service research at Mintel. “It’s less cultural adoption, more culinary celebration. This taps into a wider experience-driven eating trend where people seek themed menus, social connection and limited-edition offerings.”

London restaurant CUT at 45 Park Lane has extended its Thanksgiving service in response to a surge in bookings. “We’re now doing around 180 covers throughout the day and have opened Bar 45 for the whole week, serving Thanksgiving-inspired snacks like pecan pie, turkey croquettes and bacon-wrapped dates,” said the culinary director, Elliott Grover.

He added that bookings had roughly doubled year on year but this has also been due to them opening up further covers to meet demand. It’s popular with lots of American guests, but also many others who simply want to experience it for the first time, Grover said.

In May, the Guardian reported a rise in Americans moving to the UK for political reasons as Donald Trump assumed the presidency. US applications for UK citizenship hit a record high last year at more than 6,100, a 26% increase from 2023. There was a 40% year-on-year rise during the final three months of 2024, coinciding with the time of Trump’s re-election.

At Whole Foods Market UK, the demand around Thanksgiving now rivals the buildup to Christmas. “The moment our online ordering for the holiday goes live, we see a rush of customers eager to secure their meal,” said Izzie Peskett, the head of marketing. “It’s become a real occasion here, whether people are hosting American friends or simply recreating that classic, comforting spread at home.”

While American expats remain part of the audience, Peskett says curiosity among British shoppers has grown rapidly. “Thanksgiving is now less about where you’re from and more about embracing the warmth and generosity of the occasion,” she said.

“Our customers come for the quality and authenticity of classic dishes, from pumpkin and pecan pies, cornbread stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes and, of course, our organic turkeys.”